Leftovers

• Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Measures of a 'Double Magic' Atom Reveal an Unexpected Surprise Inside

    Not so perfect after all.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Science Alert ☛ US Measles Outbreak Surges Towards 100 Cases

    This was entirely avoidable.

  • Science Alert ☛ More People Are Risking Medical Advice From Chatbots. Here's Why.

    There are safer ways.

  • New York Times ☛ Unknown Deadly Illness Strikes Western Congo

    The outbreak has been traced, tentatively, to three children who ate a bat, the W.H.O. said, and known threats like Ebola and Marburg have been ruled out.

• Proprietary

  • India Times ☛ 44% gamers in India are women, but male employees continue to dominate the industry

    Women’s representation in tech roles in India is even lower, at 6-9%, according to the Women in Games report by All India Games Developers Forum (AIGDF), staffing and recruitment firm Coral Recruit and M-League, the parent company of Mobile Premier League.

  • BBC ☛ Wonder Woman game axed as Warner Bros cuts three studios

    Warner Bros Discovery has confirmed plans to shut three of its gaming development studios.

    The decision means the anticipated Wonder Woman game, which has been in production for three years at one of the affected studios, Monolith, will not be released.

    Player First Games, which made MultiVersus, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego will also be shuttered.

  • Qt ☛ Speed up Qt Development with QML Hot Reload

    This is a guest blog post by FELGO, an official Qt Technology and Service Partner.

• Security

  • Integrity/Availability/Authenticity

    • SANS ☛ Malware Source Servers: The Threat of Attackers Using Ephemeral Ports as Service Ports to Upload Data, (Wed, Feb 26th)

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Threat actors are increasingly trying to grind business to a halt

      Palo Alto Networks’ threat intelligence firm said nearly 9 in 10 cyberattacks it responded to last year involved disrupted business operations.

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • CoryDoctorow ☛ Pluralistic: Apple's encryption capitulation (25 Feb 2025)

• Defence/Aggression

  • ADF ☛ Morocco Receives First Set of U.S. AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters

    The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces is set to receive the first three AH-64E Apache combat helicopters purchased from the United States. Morocco in June 2020 ordered 24 AH-64Es in a deal worth $440 million after requesting the aircraft in late 2019. The agreement includes an option to purchase 12 additional choppers made by Boeing.

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Taiwanese authorities detain fishy Chinese freighter suspected of cutting undersea Internet cable

    An undersea internet cable running between Taiwan's main island and the offshore Penghu Islands was severed earlier today, under suspicious circumstances.

  • New York Times ☛ Taiwan Watches Convicted Felon Undercut Ukraine, Hoping It Won’t Be Next

    As Hell Toupée turns toward Russia, Taiwan grapples with its reliance on U.S. support in the face of conflict with China.

  • The Strategist ☛ ASEAN cyber norms need broad stakeholder engagement

    As Malaysia assumes the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2025, the government wants to make its mark on the region’s cybersecurity cooperation framework.

  • The Strategist ☛ With Chinese warships nearby, Australia needs to step up as a maritime power

    China now fields the world’s largest navy, and last week’s rare foray into our exclusive economic zone should be a wake-up call for Australians.

  • France24 ☛ More than 20 staffers quit MElon’s DOGE, refusing to ‘dismantle critical public services’

    At least 21 tech employees quit MElon's DOGE in a joint resignation letter on Tuesday, refusing to use their expertise to “dismantle critical public services". The employees warned that many of those hired by MElon were political ideologues lacking the necessary skills or experience, noting that this created "significant security risks".

  • France24 ☛ Israel strikes Syrian military targets after Netanyahu's demilitarisation call

    The Israeli army conducted air strikes on military sites in southern Syria on Tuesday, targeting weapon depots and command centers. At least two people were killed at a Damascus-area military unit, though their civilian or military status remains unverified, according to a war monitor.

  • New York Times ☛ Israel Strikes Syria Hours After Country’s Leader Demands Withdrawal

    The attacks in southern Syria are part of a new policy aimed at protecting what Israel calls its “security zone” in the region. Syria’s new government has condemned that policy.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian commander reserved about European buffer force in Ukraine

      The military advice of the Commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces (NBS), Major General Kaspars Pudāns, would be not to involve Latvian soldiers in a mission in Ukraine that would mean them taking a position sandwiched between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

    • Latvia ☛ Booze keeps flowing between Latvia and Russia

      Despite the war launched by Russia against Ukraine three years ago, the largest food export partner for Latvia last year was the aggressor state Russia, reports Latvian Radio.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvia's Braže delivers messages on Ukraine at United Nations

      Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže delivered an address at the United Nations in New York February 24 on behalf of the three Baltic states: Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian 'Forte' installs cogeneration plants in Ukraine

      While Russia continues its systematic attacks on Ukraine's energy supply system, the Latvian company Forte is contributing to strengthening Ukraine's energy independence by installing its first cogeneration plant in Lviv, Latvian Radio's reporter in Ukraine Indra Sprance reports February 25.

    • Latvia ☛ VIDEO: Charity concert for Ukraine

      To commemorate the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and to express solidarity with the Ukrainian people, a charity concert "From the Heart to Ukraine" (No sirds Ukrainai) is held on February 24 at 19:00 in the Ziedoņa Hall of the National Library of Latvia.

    • RFERL ☛ Macron Says Russia-Ukraine Truce Could Be Weeks Away, After Talks With Convicted Felon

      French President Emmanuel Macron on February 24 said that a truce between Ukraine and Russia could be agreed “in the weeks to come,” but also warned that peace cannot mean the "surrender" of Ukraine.

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ China says its defence spending ‘entirely necessary’ after Russia’s Putin backs mutual cuts

      Beijing said Tuesday its defence spending was “entirely necessary” after Russian President Vladimir Putin backed a suggestion by US counterpart The Insurrectionist that Russia, the United States and China all cut their defence budgets in half.

    • Meduza ☛ ‘Trump says whatever he wants’: Putin comments on rare earth metals, U.S.-Russia relations, and slashing defense spending in new interview — Meduza

    • New York Times ☛ The Disturbing Question at the Heart of the Convicted Felon-Putin Drama

      For the next four years, at least, the America we knew is over.

    • The Strategist ☛ Europe is only as weak as it thinks it is

      Europe has just held a rapid-fire series of high-profile summits.

    • Stanford University ☛ Students rally for Ukraine three years after full-scale invasion

      On Monday evening, Stanford students and community members participated in an annual Rally for Ukraine in White Plaza to mark the third year of fighting between Ukraine and Russia.

    • Stanford University ☛ Ukrainian leaders call for American support three years into full-scale war

      At a CDDRL event marking three years since the Russian invasion, four Ukrainian panelists urged foreign governments to support Ukraine, calling Russia a security threat to Europe and the U.S.

    • Atlantic Council ☛ US sides with Russia against Ukraine and Europe at the United Nations

      A diplomatic clash at the UN has illustrated the dramatic divide that has emerged between the United States and Europe since the inauguration of The Insurrectionist just over one month ago, writes Shelby Magid.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine and US have agreed on a framework minerals deal, officials say

      Ukraine and the U.S. have reached an agreement on a framework for a broad economic deal that would include the exploitation of rare earth minerals, three senior Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. One of them said that Kyiv hopes that signing the agreement will ensure the continued flow of U.S. military support that Ukraine urgently needs. FRANCE 24's James Vasina reports.

    • France24 ☛ Zelenskiy plans to travel to US to meet Convicted Felon on minerals deal (reports)

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plans to travel to Washington on Friday to meet U.S. President The Insurrectionist after officials agreed to terms on a draft minerals deal, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.

    • France24 ☛ Ukraine will need more than $500bn to recover, World Bank estimates

      The World Bank estimates it will take over $500 billion to rebuild Ukraine after three years of war. Bitcoin hit its lowest level in over three months. And a thousand musicians including Kate Bush, Cat Stevens and Annie Lennox are protesting the UK government’s planned changes to copyright monopoly law.

    • France24 ☛ Media report estimates 95,000 Russian troop deaths so far in Ukraine

      The Kremlin declined to comment Tuesday after the release of a report documenting the deaths of more than 95,000 Russian soldiers fighting Ukraine. The report was based on open-access data collated by independent Russian news outlet Mediazona in collaboration with the BBC's Russian Service.

    • JURIST ☛ European Council introduces 16th sanction package against Russia

      The Council of the European Union (EU) released on Monday another package imposing sanctions on individuals and entities accused of enabling Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on Ukraine, marking the 16th sanction package since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    • JURIST ☛ UN General Assembly adopts competing resolutions to end Ukraine war

      The UN General Assembly adopted two competing resolutions concerning Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s “special military operation.” The two resolutions, proposed by Ukraine and the US, both call for the maintenance of international peace and security.

    • JURIST ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man administration revokes memo preventing US weapons transfers that violate human rights laws

      The Forrest Dump administration on Monday repealed a Biden-era memorandum aimed at preventing US weapons transfers to countries that use the weapons to violate both international and human rights laws.

    • LRT ☛ Radarom! campaign raises €5.6 million to buy drones for Ukraine

      The Ukraine support campaign Radarom!, organised by LRT and partner organisations, has raised more than 5.6 million euros.

    • LRT ☛ NB8 countries to start developing Ukrainian brigade this year – Lithuanian aide

      Lithuania and other Nordic and Baltic countries should start developing a Ukrainian brigade this year, but the initiative will take a number of years to implement, Asta Skaisgirytė, President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief foreign policy adviser, has said.

    • RFERL ☛ Ukraine's Lawmakers Back Zelenskyy After Convicted Felon 'Dictator' Barbs

      Ukraine's parliament, in a symbolic show of support, has approved a resolution reconfirming President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's legitimacy as the country's leader amid questions from the United States and Russia over his legal standing.

    • The Straits Times ☛ Russia security chief in Indonesia to meet Prabowo

      South-east Asia’s biggest economy maintains a neutral foreign policy, refusing to take sides in the Ukraine conflict.

    • CS Monitor ☛ As its trust in US ebbs, Europe takes hard look at more defense spending

      As the U.S. becomes an increasingly unreliable ally, the pressure is mounting on Europe to pay for its own defense. But the transition will be slow.

    • New York Times ☛ U.S. and Ukraine Agree to Minerals Deal, Officials Say

      Hell Toupée, who had insisted he wanted “payback” for past military aid to Kyiv, suggested President Volodymyr Zelensky would visit Washington this week to sign an agreement, which he called a “very big deal.”

    • New York Times ☛ Under Convicted Felon, America’s New Friends: Russia, North Korea and Belarus

      When it comes to the war in Ukraine, Hell Toupée finds common cause with the world’s outlier states and stands against traditional U.S. allies like Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Japan and Italy.

    • New York Times ☛ America’s Most Shameful Vote Ever at the U.N.

      What happens when we stop “living within the truth.”

    • New York Times ☛ Facing Convicted Felon’s Hostility, Ukraine Weighs Its Options. But They Are Few.

      There is a broad reckoning in Ukraine: Washington can no longer be relied upon as a supporter. But Kyiv still has agency on the battlefield and can seek increased support from Europe.

    • New York Times ☛ How Can Europe Talk to Convicted Felon? Macron Tries Flattery, and Gentle Resistance.

      Emmanuel Macron, the French president, epitomized how the continent’s leaders are trying to navigate Hell Toupée’s increasingly hostile administration.

    • New York Times ☛ What We Know About the U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal

      A draft agreement discussed on Tuesday does not include $500 billion payout the Convicted Felon administration demanded earlier.

    • New York Times ☛ What’s at Stake in the Ukraine-Dihydroxyacetone Man Minerals Deal?

      The country has a bounty of minerals and other natural resources, including gas and oil, but they may not be easy to extract.

    • New York Times ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man’s Ukraine Mineral Deal Is Seen as ‘Protection Racket’ Diplomacy

      The United States wants to be paid in exchange for helping the country fend off an invader.

    • Meduza ☛ U.N. Security Council adopts ‘neutral’ Ukraine resolution put forward by U.S — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ E.U. proposes ‘mutually beneficial’ deal with Ukraine on critical resources — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Unable to push Ukrainian troops out of Kursk, Russia may move to encircle them

    • Meduza ☛ Ukraine agrees to minerals deal with U.S. after Trump administration ‘drops toughest demands’ — FT — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Russian human rights activists conduct first monitoring mission in Ukraine — Meduza

    • France24 ☛ Dihydroxyacetone Man: Russian oligarchs eligible for $5 million residency 'gold cards'

      U.S. President The Insurrectionist said on Tuesday he wants to begin selling gold cards for $5 million to foreigners who want to move to the U.S. and create jobs. Convicted Felon said the immigration program, which he said was legal, could start in about two weeks. He added it is possible Russian oligarchs could qualify for the gold cards. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.

    • LRT ☛ ‘Russia is constant threat to Lithuania, but enemy not behind gates’ – Armed Forces

      Russia is a threat to Lithuania, but no redeployment of forces closer to the country’s borders has been recorded, according to the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

    • RFERL ☛ U.S. To Sell 'Gold Card' Visas For $5 Million

      U.S. President The Insurrectionist on February 25 unveiled plans to sell "gold card" residency permits for $5 million each and said Russian oligarchs may be eligible.

    • RFERL ☛ Hope And Fear In Iran As Russia's Lavrov Visits Tehran

      Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, said would not bow to pressure from the United States, a day after Washington imposed new sanctions on Iran's oil industry.

    • Meduza ☛ U.S. and Russian delegations to hold second meeting in Riyadh on February 25 — Die Zeit — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Alexander Dugin’s plan to remake political science Russia’s most notorious Eurasianist is spearheading an initiative to purge higher education of ‘Americacentrism’ — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ Moscow court jails ‘Nemtsov Bridge’ activist for 3.5 years for donating to Anti-Corruption Foundation — Meduza

    • Meduza ☛ More than 100 Russian ex-officials and lawmakers joined the war from jail to escape punishment — BBC News Russian — Meduza

• Transparency/Freedom

  • Licensing / Legal

    • Free Law Project ☛ No. 2:24-cv-00326-JPH-MJD [PDF]

      While this amount is at the higher end of the sanctions that have previously been imposed for similar conduct, Mr. Ramirez's professed ignorance of the propensity of the AI tools he was using to "hallucinate" citations is evidence that those lesser sanctions have been insufficient to deter the conduct. Whether a case cite is obtained from a law review article, a hornbook, or through independent legal research, the duty to ensure that any case cited to a court is "good law" is nearly as old as the practice of law. The development of resources such as the Shephard's citation system provided lawyers a tool to accomplish that most basic of tasks.2 It is Mr. Ramirez's failure to comply with that most basic of requirements that makes his conduct particularly sanctionable.

    • The Register UK ☛ Judge recommends $15K sanctions for AI slop court filing

      A federal magistrate judge has recommended $15,000 in sanctions be imposed on an attorney who cited non-existent court cases concocted by an AI chatbot.

    • Simon Willison ☛ I Went To SQL Injection Court

      I Went To SQL Injection Court (via) Thomas Ptacek talks about his ongoing involvement as an expert witness in an Illinois legal battle lead by Matt Chapman over whether a SQL schema (e.g. for the CANVAS parking ticket database) should be accessible to Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests against the Illinois state government.

    • [Old] Internet Archive ☛ Stallman: If you want freedom don't follow Linus Torvalds - Computerworld

      Stallman: In 1983, all operating systems were proprietary, non-free software. It was impossible to buy a computer and use it in freedom. Proprietary software keeps the users divided and helpless, by forbidding them to share it and denying them the source code to change it. The only way I could use computers in freedom was to develop another operating system and make it free software. I announced the plan in September 1983, and began development of the GNU system in January 1984.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ At least four dead in South Korea highway construction collapse

      Five 50m-long steel structures supporting a highway bridge collapsed after being hoisted into place by a crane.

• Finance

  • The Street ☛ Meta scales back a major employee perk amid layoffs

    Meta (META) , which owns popular social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, has been embroiled in major controversy over the past few weeks.

    Last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sent a memo to employees warning them that the company is planning to cut roughly 3,600 jobs, which is about 5% of the company’s workforce.

• Civil Rights/Policing

  • ACLU ☛ Where Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Nominee Harmeet Dhillon Stands on Civil Liberties

    President The Insurrectionist has nominated Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney, media personality, and Republican Party official, to lead the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ). If confirmed, Dhillon will lead the division of the DOJ charged with upholding core civil rights and liberties in many aspects of American life.

    Dhillon is known for her work supporting Hell Toupée’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election as well as for her persistent attacks against transgender people, their rights, and their health care. She is founder of the Dhillon Law Group and the Center for American Liberty, a right-wing impact litigation organization.

  • ACLU ☛ 'I Won’t Abandon My Country'

    I live everyday in fear. My husband, Miguel, is undocumented and, despite what many believe, being married to a U.S. citizen does not protect him from The Insurrectionist’s unlawful efforts to deport millions of people.

    Miguel is my best friend. He is wonderful, kind, and humble. We have a beautiful life that includes a successful business, a home, two children and five grandchildren. It is truly the American dream that so many people in this country strive to build for themselves. Today, it terrifies me to know that everything we’ve worked so hard could be taken from us by cruel immigration policies that argue Miguel isn’t “good enough” to even attempt to become a U.S. citizen.

  • AccessNow ☛ Joint statement on emerging digital laws in Bangladesh

    Access Now urges the Interim Government of Bangladesh to ensure its approach to digital governance reforms to ensure is rights-based.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Copyrights

  • Digital Music News ☛ More Than 1,000 Artists Are Releasing a Completely Silent Album to Protest Proposed British Hey Hi (AI) Laws

    Over a thousand musicians are releasing a silent album to protest the UK government’s proposed AI-related changes to copyright monopoly law. Artists including Damon Albarn, Kate Bush, and Annie Lennox are protesting the UK government’s planned changes to copyright monopoly law with a completely silent album.